Nepal Maoists to respect polls result, threat remains

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KATHMANDU, Apr 3 (Reuters): They fought in the mountains for a decade, but Nepal's former Maoist rebels vowed Thursday to respect the result of next week's historic national elections -- even if they lose.
It is one of the biggest questions Nepal faces as it approaches next Thursday's polls, meant to cement a peace deal with the Maoists, remove a 240-year-old monarchy and usher in a republic.
Maoists have been accused of systematic intimidation of voters and rival party workers during the campaign, and some fear they could turn more violent if the elections go against them.
But Maoist leader Prachanda, a 53-year-old former schoolteacher, insisted in an interview he was committed to multi-party competition and, barring extreme provocation, said his cadres had left their days of war behind.
"We will respect any verdict of the masses through this election, there is no doubt," he told Reuters. "Even if we are in a minority, we will go with this competitive politics."
The vote is designed to elect a special assembly meant to write a new constitution for Nepal, but it is also being seen as the country's first general election in nine years.
No one really knows how well the Maoists will fare. A low turnout could work in their favour, if they succeed in scaring opposing voters away from the polls, but such tactics could also backfire, analysts said.
Either way, most people say the former rebels are unlikely to do as well as the country's mainstream political heavyweights, Nepali Congress and the communist UML.
Political analysts say the Maoist leadership is nervous, but Prachanda, who still uses his nom de guerre meaning fierce or awesome, showed no sign of this at a rally in the capital Kathmandu on Wednesday.